Letters to the Editor: January 14, 2019

Over six lakh people from all over Mumbai and its suburbs embarked on a pilgrimage to celebrate the annual festival of St Bonaventure at the historic Portuguese Church at Erangal beach at Madh Island in Malad (West) on January 13, 2019.

The feast of St Bonaventure is celebrated on the second Sunday in January every year. The Church of St Bonaventure was the first Church to be built at Madh Island in the year, 1599. Till the year 1976, the Church was in ruins as it stood on the open coast facing the sea. In 1976, through the efforts of Fr Peter Bombacha (an East Indian), the Church was repaired and brought back into use. A statue of St Bonaventure has been standing at the high altar ever since in spite of wars and strong winds. The annual festivities of this Church have become a magnet today for both Catholics and non-Catholics.

Jubel D’Cruz

Fix Income-limit for caste-based reservation

It refers to the central government successfully getting passed the Constitutional Amendment Bill by both the Houses of Parliament with most opposition parties giving support to the bill. But rule fixing parameters for getting reservation should be same for general and cast-based categories.

Reservation to cast-based categories should also be provided for families having an annual income of rupees eight lakhs, agricultural land less than 5 acres, residences less than 1000 square-feet and residential plot less than 100 square yards in the notified municipal area and 200 square yards in the non-notified municipal area. The system will be even advantageous for vote-bank politics because the majority of the cast-based system will be benefitted isolating a very small section of creamy layer.

Moreover, reservation in both general and cast-based categories should be provided only for those having families with up to two children. The system will provide much-needed benefits of reservation to really deserving persons having a duty towards society also by following planned family norms.